Consumer Prices Flat In The Bay Area

BAY AREA — Consumer prices in the San Francisco area went up just slightly in the last two months, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Prices increased 0.1 percent due to higher prices for all items except for food and energy, Richard Holden, the bureau's assistant commissioner for regional operations, noted.

Prices were up 2.7 percent over August 2018 and prices for all goods and services except food and energy were up 2.8 percent from a year ago.

Food and energy prices tend to fluctuate widely so excluding them may provide a better measure of costs for consumers.

Food prices jumped 3.7 percent during the last 12 months while energy decreased 0.9 percent, due to a drop in the price of gasoline.

Over the last three weeks though, gas prices have been rising in San Francisco, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Officials with the Bureau of Labor Statistics said for the purpose of reporting price changes they consider the San Francisco area as Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco and San Mateo counties.

— Bay City News